Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board   In serving injured workers and employers, our vision 
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Appeals
The number of incoming appeals was up marginally to a total of 1021 in 2007, but still down from the levels of the previous three years. In spite of some staffing issues that hampered productivity, there was an increase in the number of appeal decisions, reducing the backlog slightly from 2006.

The Appeals Department has a strong focus on accountability and evidence based decision making. Appeals Officers have extensive experience in WCB claims adjudication and management. The Appeals Department publishes its formal Mandate and Guiding Principles on the WCB web site. To help ensure continued accuracy and consistency in decision making, all Appeals Officers received professional Administrative Justice training again in 2007, focusing on interpreting legislation.

While the accuracy of an appeal decision is critical, timeliness is also a very important consideration. When an appeal is registered, clients are advised of the approximate time frame for their appeal to be considered. New for 2007, appellants with electronic access to their claim file may track the status of their appeal on-line.

The backlog and cycle times remained relatively flat throughout 2007. The backlog at the end of 2007 was slightly lower than 2006 at 142 appeals, while the average cycle time was slightly greater at an average of 65 days. With the department at full staff going into 2008, the target is to reduce the backlog and improve the cycle times through the first two quarters of 2008.

Statistics

Appeals Activity
 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
Appeals Received 1021 1008 1149 1077 1081
Accepted 217 209 254 266 197
Denied 546 534 801 639 422
Returned for Development 246 190 259 231 221
Total 1009 933 1314 1136 840
Withdrawn 23 42 22 42 44
Appeals Pending 142 153 120 307 408
      
Average days to decision 65 51 77 157 149
Appeals decided within 30 days 21.0% 24.3% 26.3% 21.9% 18.8%
Appeal Meetings 53 44 75 98 86


Nature of Appeals
 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
Issue     
Initial Acceptance 333 317 359 290 269
Relationship (of condition to injury) 164 176 216 177 198
Recovery / Fitness 83 98 140 189 188
Expenses 69 47 77 29 31
Recovery / Pre-existing condition 59 57 27 67 56
Wage Loss Benefits 57 13 ** ** **
Estimated Earning Capacity 51 49 55 74 65
Cost Relief for Employer 39 70 59 67 85
Permanent Functional Impairment 34 29 44 42 43
Suspension 32 31 46 43 36
Wage Base 29 34 32 24 22
Retraining 20 18 23 23 11
Independence Allowance 18 13 22 8 14
Overpayment Recovery 17 15 4 2 *
Dependants 3 1 6 0 1
Other 13 40 39 42 62
Total 1021 1008 1149 1077 1081
* New category of appeals in 2004
** New Category of appeals in 2006

Source of Appeals
 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
Source      
Worker 722 671 820 717 659
Worker's Advocate 118 109 95 114 120
Employer 70 73 65 75 116
Union Official 36 31 24 49 48
Lawyer 17 28 35 32 27
Family 6 3 10 5 14
Other Representatives 52 93 100 85 97
Total 1021 1008 1149 1077 1081


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